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Feb 11 '21, 3:00 PM - 4:15 PM
The power of virtual communities for real-life change: digital technologies to reach SDG 3.5 and to promote well-being
The 59th session of the Commission for Social Development (CSocD59) will take place from February 8 to 17 in 2021.
The priority theme is “Socially just transition towards sustainable development: the role of digital technologies on social development and well-being of all.”
Movendi International is organizing an innovative side event to contribute to the conversation about how digital technology can be used to achieve SDG 3.5.
Date, time, place
February 11, 2021 at 03-04.15PM New York time (EST), ZOOM platform
Registration
Please register for the event here.
Event summary
Alcohol is a major obstacle to development, adversely affecting 14 of 17 SDGs and all aspects of development. Therefore, SDG 3.5 addresses the need for prevention and treatment interventions to tackle alcohol harm and foster well-being and development for all.
This innovative side event will discuss the lessons learned from trailblazing innovators to show how digital technology helps people overcome alcohol and other mental health problems, builds community and becomes a platform for broader social change.
This groundbreaking side event will discuss the opportunities and challenges – in different parts and cultures of the world – to make these digital technology available and to harness their potential.
In this side event we will focus on the specific needs of women, of people from low-income countries and communities and of youth to explore how digital technologies can best be leveraged to benefit those most affected by alcohol harm but farthest behind in accessing vital services.
Side event topics
Sustainable development, mental health, equity, leave no one behind, alcohol prevention and control
Speakers lineup
- Keynote: Dra. Maristela Monteiro, Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO)
- Mrs Elizabeth Mattfeld, Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation Unit, Drug Prevention and Health Branch, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
- Ms Kristina Sperkova, International President, Movendi International, Slovakia
- Mr Richard Piper, CEO, Alcohol Change UK
- (TBD) Ms Holly Whitaker, Founder and CEO, Join Tempest, USA
- Mr Adrian Njenga, Policy and Planning Unit, National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Kenya
Detailed description of the event
Alcohol is a major obstacle to development, adversely affecting 14 of 17 SDGs and all aspects of sustainable development. Therefore, SDG 3.5 addresses the need for prevention and treatment and recovery interventions to tackle alcohol harm and foster well-being and development for all.
Three facts about alcohol’s development burden stand out:
- Every ten second a human being dies due to alcohol, adding up to 3 million deaths every year.
- Marginalized and socio-economically poorer people and communities are disproportionately affected by alcohol; for instance, alcohol is the largest risk factor for disease burden in the age group 25-49 years.
- In 2016, more than 5% of the global adult population suffered from an alcohol use disorder (more than 280 million adults), according to the WHO.
These three facts illustrate the mortality and morbidity burden caused by alcohol, the impact of alcohol on younger, poorer, and socio-economically disadvantaged people and the urgent need to tackle alcohol as a mental and physical health as well as development and social justice priority.
In addition to the WHO-recommended best buy alcohol policy solutions, there have emerged innovative digital technologies that help people overcome their alcohol problems and thus build resilient communities.
This innovative side event seeks to discuss the lessons learned from trailblazing innovators to show how digital technology helps people overcome alcohol and other mental health problems, builds community and becomes a platform for broader social activism.
This groundbreaking side event will discuss the opportunities and challenges – in different parts and cultures of the world – to make these digital technologies available and to real harness their potential.
In this side event we will focus on the specific needs of women, of people from low- income countries and communities and of young people to explore how digital technologies can best be leveraged to benefit those most affected by alcohol harm but farthest behind in accessing services.
The purpose of this event is to promote fresh approaches, innovative ideas, compelling new narratives about social development and well-being, from the vantage point of tackling alcohol harm, and to make effective solutions more widely available.
